Post #626958 by PiPhiRho on Wed, Feb 29, 2012 10:28 AM

Some people want to turn one disappointing experience into a trend. Every restaurant has an occasional off night. The Synders have tried very hard to re-create Don the Beachcomber's vision. We now have a real (or, at the very least, a reasonable facsimili of) Don the Beachcomber back on the mainland after 20 years since the last one closed.

Tiki Places have never been known for their food. Don's is better than most. Thet have reduced their menu some recently, but I think that the quality of the food is still quite good. At the very least, just have appetizers during happy hour. I particularly enjoy the brie quesadilla with kalua pork. That and some sliders and it feels like you have had an entire meal. On the dining room menu the huli huli chicken with coconut rice is very good and well worth the price. I have not had the duck yet. I think I will have that the next time I go there for dinner.

As far as the drinks, I give them two thumbs up. It is true IMO that some of the drinks were better when Marie was there, and all were more consistent in their quality. The quality of any drink seems to depend most on which bartender made it. The more popluar drinks tend to be the most consistent because the bartenders have the most experience with them. Currently, those are the mai tai and the penang afrididi. I quite like the Penang Afrididi. My favorite during Marie's tenure, the Three Dots and a Dash, is the one that has probably degraded the most since Marie's departure, but can still be very good if you can find a bartender that can do it correctly. A bunch of new cocktails have been added to the menu. All in all, the drinks are better than you are going to get in most LA/OC bars.

So don't take the advice of complainers so seriously. If you are into tiki and you are in the area, you should go to Don the Beachcomber and decide for yourself.